A Procedure for Analysing Reinforced Embankments

In this paper, equations are derived to calculate the factor of safety, in addition to the force required for reinforcement to achieve the desired factor of safety in reinforced embankments. The equations are derived based on the limit equilibrium approach. Assuming the failure surface to be an arc of a circle, solutions have been developed to take into account the effect of applied loads and the effect of applying the reinforcement in layers. For the equations derived to give valid solutions, assumptions should be satisfied. These include: the center of the slip circle must lie at a level at or above the bottom of the tension crack; the entire berm should lie within the failure plane; and the direction of reinforcement force is assumed to be horizontal. Typical examples have been analyzed to illustrate the use of the solutions. A comparison is made with the results of Bishop’s simplified method of slices through the software PROKON and previous analytic solutions, and good agreement was obtained.